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Archive for October, 2013
Canada: Oil Sands Prevail Even if Most Carbon Becomes ‘Unburnable’: Suncor
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2013
Bloomberg: The phrase “unburnable carbon” has gained currency among climate-minded investors, popularized by a U.K.-based nonprofit called the Carbon Tracker Initiative. It refers to the vast fossil-fuel reserves that, if burned, would probably push the global climate into the danger zone.
Some investors are concerned that stock-market valuations would plummet if oil companies continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on exploration while the world lunges away from oil. Last week, a coalition of...
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New city zoning plans tied to changes in climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 30th, 2013
Boston Globe: City officials proposed new zoning rules Tuesday that would require developers of large new buildings in Boston to submit plans to deal with flooding, heat waves, and other potential complications of climate change as sea levels and temperatures are projected to rise.
The rules, which will be presented to the Boston Redevelopment Authority board next month, are among a number of steps city officials said they have taken since Hurricane Sandy last year demonstrated the dangers posed by a changing...
Limiting carbon emissions is harder when you’re conserving water
Posted by Ars Technica: John Timmer on October 30th, 2013
Ars Technica: In the US, fully half of the water withdrawn from sources such as lakes and aquifers ends up being used for generating electricity. Most of that water is converted to steam, cooled, and returned to its original source. Even in those cases, however, losses during the cooling process reduce the total amount of water available.
The end result is that electricity generation competes with other potential uses for the water. In cases of severe drought, power generation may end up losing, reducing the...
Hurricane Sandy Hasn’t Shifted Climate Narrative
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on October 30th, 2013
Climate Central: In the year since Hurricane Sandy struck the Mid-Atlantic, news articles have widely declared that the storm has "changed the public's view of weather threats' and that "resilience' would be the environmental buzzword of 2013. That sounds all well and good, but are headlines enough to move public opinion and spark new discussions?
Signs seem to point to "no.' Policy has moved forward in a number of the states most affected by Sandy. But the broader U.S. public has shown little interest in carrying...
Los Angeles County Leaders Oppose Plan Drill for Oil in Whittier Hills
Posted by LA Times: Seema Mehta and Louis Sahagun on October 30th, 2013
LA Times: Los Angeles County leaders voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a plan to drill for oil in publicly owned parkland in the Whittier hills, saying the proposal would undermine open space protection throughout the county.
"Oil and open space don't mix," Supervisor Gloria Molina said after the vote, noting that the land was purchased with taxpayer money earmarked for conservation efforts. "We've purchased hundreds of acres of land across Los Angeles County using millions of Prop. A dollars. To allow...
Canada: TransCanada Sued by Former Land Agent for Pipeline Feedback
Posted by CBC: None Given on October 30th, 2013
CBC: Pipelines, land rights focus of meetings in New Brunswick Readers divided by TransCanada's pipeline project TransCanada tries to woo support for west-east pipeline
TransCanada Corp. was soliciting public comments from New Brunswickers about the proposed pipeline through a subcontractor.
The company that wants to build the Energy East pipeline is facing a lawsuit by a former subcontracted employee whose job was to get feedback from New Brunswickers.
Craig Barry was one of 12 land agents who...
Climate change puts a third of global economy at risk
Posted by CNBC: Katy Barnato on October 30th, 2013
CNBC: Around one-third of the world's economy by 2025 will be based in countries at "high" or "extreme" risk from the economic impact of climate change, according to risk consultancy Maplecroft.
Thirty-one percent or $44 trillion of output will be based in countries classified as most at risk from climate change in Maplecroft's Climate Change Vulnerability Index, which considered a nation's exposure to extreme weather events over the next 30 years alongside its capacity to cope with the impact.
"Future...
Shale Gas Revolution Not Coming To China Anytime Soon
Posted by Forbes: None Given on October 30th, 2013
Forbes: Shale gas has upended U.S. energy markets, cutting oil imports to their lowest level in two decades. Can China pull off the same feat? It has already passed the U.S. as the biggest buyer of oil cargoes and by far the largest burner of coal, which explains the noxious air pollution that cloaks its northern cities. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of underground reserves offers a way to cut emissions while feeding heating systems and power plants. It now accounts for around 40% of U.S. natural gas...
U.S. Says It Won’t Back New International Coal-Fired Power Plants
Posted by New York Times: Michael D. Shear on October 30th, 2013
New York Times: In an aggressive move to impose President Obama’s environmental policies overseas, the Treasury Department on Tuesday largely declared an end to United States support for new coal-fired power plants around the world. The decision means that Mr. Obama’s administration will no longer contribute to coal projects financed by the World Bank and other international development banks. “What we’re trying to do is to use the leverage associated with public finance to help developing countries move in the...
Brazil: Belo Monte dam suspended
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 29th, 2013
Mongabay: Construction on Belo Monte, Brazil's largest dam, was again halted by a federal court due to concerns over its license, reports Amazon Watch, an NGO that is mobilizing opposition to the project.
"Last week the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF-1) accepted a request made by public prosecutors of the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) and suspended the installation license (LI- Licença de Instalação) which had authorized the start of construction sites of the Belo Monte Hydroelelctric Dam...